Perhaps another sign of global economic pickup, as recent movie prop auctions see people splashing out big time on their favourite memorabilia. Here are five movies (well, four films and one adulated TV series) that illustrate the point:

Game of Death

The coveted jumpsuit that clad Bruce Lee in "Game of Death" went up for auction yesterday. Fans are making a beeline for the yellow and black number, worn by Lee in the 1973 film, which he never lived to see completed. It's expected to fetch between $26,000-$38,700 (£15,900-£23,600).

Breaking Bad

In September, the underwear of Breaking Bad's antihero Walter White bagged $9,900 (£6,000) at auction. And Screenbid, the site that sold them, has been rattling through an abundance of other paraphernalia from the hit series. Here's a selection of what people bought:

On Thursday, props and costumes from Lord of the Rings will go up for auction. The items have been amassed over the past decade by an avid collector, and the sale is expected to net more than £500,000.

Frodo's sword will likely set you back £125,000, whilst Aragorn's sword, Gimli's battle axe and Gandalf's staff are expected to sell for £30,000-£43,000 each. Samwise Gamgee's prosthetic ears and feet are expected to fetch around £23,000.

Harry Potter

Earlier this month, the Harry Potter Elder Wand led a memorabilia auction, up 102 per cent on the $5,000 (£3,000) estimate, selling for a stonking $10,100 (£6,200).

Skyfall

And last week, one of the many suits worn by Daniel Craig in Skyfall went up for auction. It's expected to fetch between £8,000 and £12,000. The two-piece, Prince of Wales check number, designed by Tom Ford, is going as part of Pop Culture, an 100-piece online-only exhibition by Christie's.

The suit comes with a pair of black enamel cufflinks, emblazoned with the Bond family coat of arms and bearing the motto Orbis Non Sufficit - The World is Not Enough.